Land of the Dark Hunters
Prologue Nepolius was quiet. The few rahi that lived there were asleep, and the Matoran had left for Metru Nui hours before. Nothing stirred. Nothing except for the small canister that was making its way in from the sea. Toa Frucas watched as it came in. Suddenly, two blades shot up from the middle of the canister. Claws erupted from the chamber, and the metal cage shattered. A tall, multi-toned creature stepped out from the rubble. It had a long, scorpion-like tail, huge claws on its feet, and carried a three-pronged sword and sheild. The monstrosity strode over to a pile of rocks. It seemed to study them all, before taking the largest and throwing it at the rock underneath Frucas. The age-old stone crumbled, bringing down the Toa's hidden platform. Frucas hit the ground before he knew he was falling. The shock of the impact forced him to let down his guard for just a second, but that was enough time for the creature. The last thing Frucas saw of that encounter was a clawed foot coming down towards his mask. Chapter 1 “Turaga Carok?” “Enter, Kurek.” Toa Kurek walked into the small hut of his village’s elder, Turaga Carok. The entrance was a bit small, so he had to bend down, but he was used to it. "You summoned me, Turaga?" "Yes. Two days ago Toa Frucas went missing. I would like you and Toa Covoc to investigate his disappearance." "Certainly..." Where Kurek had bent to enter the hut, Covoc just ran into the frame. He achieved nothing except for a broken mask. "Well," Turaga Carok chuckled,"That's the end of that mask. I belive it is the fifth occasion this week, in fact." "Yes sir. Sorry sir." Was all Covoc said. "Maybe you should take this, Covoc." Turaga Carok gave Toa Covoc an orange mask. It was vaguely reminisent of a Kanohi Kakama. "It is a Mask of Fate," Carok said,"I belive you will find it useful." "Yes sir. Thank you sir." Covoc took the luminous orange mask and slipped it onto his face. "Now, back to your mission. Toa Frucas was last seen on Nepolius, speaking with the locals about a Great Kanohi. Find Toa Frucas, and, if you can, the Kanohi." "Toa Kurek replied,"Consider it done." The two Toa said nothing as they left. Chapter 2 Ravager and Poison entered their new 'home from home'. The Dark Hunters had sent them to take over the small island of Nepolius. It had been a lot easier than expected, as the Matoran had gone, the Rahi were tame, and there was only one Toa. That Toa was locked up in what was once a Temple, being interrogated by Vanisher. Ravager thought they should just have killed the Toa, but Vanisher insisted that he might have important information. Besides, Ravager just wanted to kill everyone. **** Down below, Toa Frucas was hanging upside down above a pit of Energised Protodermis by his ankles, which were chained firmly to the ceiling. Standing in front of him was a silver and purple armoured Dark Hunter. He was supposed to be interrogating Frucas, but he was just standing there, eyes wide, doing nothing. Not nothing, Frucas thought, Probably reading my mind. Eventually the Dark Hunter said," You are Toa Frucas of Krano Nui. Leader of the Toa Krano, and advisor to Turaga Carok. Arrived on Nepolius two days ago, searching for the Kanohi Zutekhae. Evacuated the Matoran, and then stood watch over the bay. Captured by Ravager upon our arrival last night. Am I right?" There was no point in denying it. "Yes." "Good. Well, that was a fast interrogation. You have served your purpose. Goodbye." With that, the chains holding Frucas came loose and he fell towards the pit. Before falling in however, he grabbed the edge and propelled himself up above the Hunter, and landed on his feet. H eturned to see a spear coming towards him, and he blocked it with his left arm. He then brought his leg up and kicked the Hunter in the chest, sending him sprawling back towards the pit. He fell in, and disappeared. Chapter 3 Toa Kurek and Toa Covoc walked through a small cave tunnel that led to Nepolius, weapons at the ready. It was very dark, and smelt of dead Stone rats, which there were plenty of. Covoc knew that there could be a Rahi or a Makuta around any corner, so he kept his elemental powers fully charged, drawing energy in from the rock that currently surrounded him. Neither of them dared to speak, as they knew that the sound could alert nearby creatures that dinner was coming. Then they heard the roar. It was the roar of a Yellemoth, but they only inhabited islands like Isakrah - didn't they? **** Ikov walked into a large room where Vanisher was waiting for him. He had made a deal with the Hunters to deliver them the Zutekhae, if they brought him a Matoran named Yezu. He doubted they would stick to their side of the bargain, but it was a good excuse to get rid of the mask. "Do you have it?" Vanisher asked the Matoran. "Do you have the mask?" Ikov pulled out the Kanohi mask and showed it to Vanisher. "Right here. Now where's Yezu?" "We currently have someone tracking him as we speak." "So you aren't going to bring him to me?" Ikov tried to sound surprised. Vanisher shook his head. "Afraid not." "Ah well," Ikov laughed. He threw the mask into the air and kicked it to Vanisher, who was genuinly surprised. "You can have the mask. I don't care about it. I can't use it...well, I don't think I can." Vanisher picked the mask up. "Thank you, foolish Matoran." The Hunter aimed his staff at the Matoran. "And just to make sure..." Vanisher slipped the Kanohi Zutekhae onto his face. Then he fired. Chapter 4 The beast crashed through the tunnel, ripping the roof open wherever it went. Kurek called upon his elemental powers to send a horde of plants against the Yellemoth, but it just swatted them aside and lunged at the Toa of Organics. Covoc brought a wall of stone up in front of it, and two Toa ran. They could hear the behemoth breaking the wall and lumbering after them, but they didn't dare look around until they got out of the cave. Covoc threw a hail of boulders at the giant, and Kurek made some nearby vines wrap themselves around it. Stunned, the creature fell back. Covoc used his mask power to jump, flip in mid air, and kick the already dazed Yellemoth in the head. It fell unconcious. "Want a ride, brother?" Kurek ushered Covoc to climb on his back. The Toa of Stone did this, and Kurek used his Mask of Speed to shoot off into the distance. **** Frucas ran out of the Temple to find a canister intact in the bay. He got in and turned on his comlink. A video message from Turaga Carok appeared. He was standing in a battlefield, fire blazing everywhere. Then he spoke. "Frucas, listen to this message intently. Every word is one hundred percent true. Krano Nui has come under attack! By the time you get this message, we will all probably be dead. The rest of your team is attending to business on Irania Nui, except for Kurek and Covoc. They are searching for you on Nepolius. Please, find them, retrieve the mask, and get off that island! Don't come back to Krano Nui unless the flame beacon is lit! "Good luck, Toa Frucas." Frucas turned off the comlink and opened the canister, only to find he was a kio out at sea, and the controls were waterlogged. All he could say was "Bull turds." Chapter 5 Ikov ducked down and the blast of energy flew over him. He dodged another load of blasts, before running head on at Vanisher. He grabbed the spear and flung it across the room. Vanisher tried to throw the Matoran off, but Ikov tore at the Hunter, clawing off chunks of armour, and beating him repeatedly. Then Ikov pulled at the mask. He wrenched it free, and placed it on his own face. He knew Matoran couldn't use masks, but he tried it anyway. And strangely, it worked. Ikov suddenly felt a wave of power flow through him, and he picked Vanisher up by the groin. The strength this mask gave him was incredible. He didn't think that Matoran could use mask powers, but obviously they could. He threw Vanisher over his shoulder, and heard a crunch as the Hunter slammed into the wall behind. Ikov turned and saw that Vanisher was getting to his feet, massive chunks of his armour now missing. Ikov flexed his claws, then waited for Vanisher to come for him. When the Dark Hunter did, Ikov thrust his claws into Vanisher's chest. Vanisher screamed, and fell to the floor. Ikov continued to slash his claws across the Hunter, and Vanisher breathed his last. Ikov looked at Vanisher, and then picked up his staff. He aimed it at the corpse, and fired, sending him back to Odina, the base of the Dark Hunters. Then another wave of energy flowed through Ikov. The mask was allowing him to drain energy! His body started to crackle with energy, and after a few long moments, the Matoran was gone. In his place stood a tall being with saphirre armour and huge wings. Vashkov walked out of the chamber, and all was silent. **** Covoc and Kurek landed on Nepolius after skimming the ocean at super speed. They were at a small pier, with thin ropes hanging everywhere. "Looks like Frucas did well!" Kurek said,"No Matoran to be seen. He must have got them all off the island." "Yeah, but where's Frucas?" Covoc replied. "Do you think he left with them?" They were answered by a small canister flying in from the sea. It left a massive trail of fire behind it as it went. It crash-landed metres away from the two Toa, and a familiar figure emerged. "Frucas!" The Toa cried in unison. Frucas said nothing, but showed his comrades the video message. Covoc's mouth dropped in horror, and still Frucas said nothing. Chapter 6 The Shadowed One looked down at the rotting corpse in front of him. It had come through a small portal mere seconds before, and he recognised it to be the body of Vanisher. This could mean only one thing - a group of Toa had compromised the mission. He turned to the blue and gold being beside him. "Ancient," he began,"Call in Lurker, Gladiator and Silence. I have another job for them..." **** Poison watched as the ship came in. Vanisher had been killed, possibly by a Toa, so The Shadowed One had sent more Dark Hunters to the island. Poison never noticed the being behind him flexing its claws, and he never even knew that a blade was passing through his chest. **** After he dropped the corpse to the ground, Vashkov felt another wave of power. He had learnt that putting on the Kanohi Zutekhae had given him the ability to drain the powers and energy of other beings, just by simply killing them. With the power he had now, he could fell an entire team of Toa, or even a Makuta. If he could just find that last Dark Hunter... Then he saw the ship that was coming in. He flew down onto the ground below, and the hunt was on. Chapter 7 The three Toa saw the ship coming, too, and prepared for battle. Three Dark Hunters were on the ship, each carrying a myriad of weapons, both natural and unnatural. One had two biomechanical pincers on its back, whilst another had huge claws and spikes all over its body. The third looked like a Toa, but it had all kinds of strange implants, including a life-support system and a Kanoka disk launcher (strange combination, Covoc thought to himself). As the Toa studied the new arrivals that were now exiting the boat, a winged creature vaguely reminiscent of a Makuta landed on the ground behind them. The Toa turned in unison, and Frucas saw something familiar about the beast. "Ikov?" He enquired, hoping the thing wouldn't answer but it did. "Toa Frucas," It boomed in a voice like thunder," I see you found your team mates! How nice that you should all be here to witness the Great Insurrection of Vashkov!" "The who-whatty-what-what?" Covoc jeered. "My rise to power, basically," was the 'Matoran's' reply. A small insectoid Rahi flew gently in 'Ikov's' direction. He snatched it out of the air. His hand glowed breifly, and he let the remaining ashes fall to the ground. Kurek grimaced. "Ikov..." "My name is no longer Ikov. I am Vashkov now!" He smiled. "You are here for the Kanohi Zutekhae, are you not?" "Yes, so if you could just give it to us, we'll be on our way..." Frucas said. "Well I'm sorry but you can't have it. It's mine now..." Vashkov flexed his claws, as if he were thinking deeply"...I'm still very hungry. Power hungry." Chapter 8 Ravager gretted his fellow Dark Hunters as they entered the former Temple. He got on 'well' with some of these Hunters, even though his mind was going"Kill! Kill! Kill!" He offered them chairs, and when Lurker and Silence sat down, Gladiator and Ravager destroyed their own seats. Standing in the wrechage (where he felt most comfortable) Ravager said "I suppose you know why you're all here. Vanisher and Poison have been killed, and the Kanohi Zulekie..." "Zutekhae!" Gladiator cut him off. "...and the Kanohi Zutekhae is nowhere to be found. It may have been the Toa that we captured, but I doubt it. Vanisher was last seen with a Matoran." Lurker called out,"Which type? The air ones taste best." "Argh!" Ravager wanted to lash out at his fellow Hunter, but he restrained himself, as they had a job to do. "Imbicile! It doesn't matter what 'type' of Matoran it was! All that matters is getting the mask and securing the base!" Gladiator boomed," We still have a Toa on our hands, too. I think we should appoint someone to find him and make sure he doesn't get in our way!" "I'll go." Lurker said. "Then get to it, moron!" Ravager snapped, and Lurker left the room. "That leaves the rest of us to secure the base..." "What about the mask?" Gladiator asked. "Silence can deal with the trinket," Ravager replied. And with that, they all got up and attended to their tasks, except Ravager, who just stared at the wall, deep in thought. Chapter 9 Vashkov was about to attack when he thought of something else. "Okay, Toa," he began,"I will make a deal with you. Get off this island and I will spare your lives." The three Toa looked at each other, and then Frucas nodded."Okay then, we'll go. You can deal with the four Dark Hunters for yourself." That made Vashkov think - he may have been wearing the Mask of Victory, but that wasn't the power that it granted him. Could he defeat the Hunters alone? "The deal's changed. One of you has to stay, and you've already agreed to he bargain. So, who's it to be?" Kurek just glared at him. "What?" Then Covoc said,"No Kurek. Fair deal Vashkov. I'll stay." "Covoc, no!" Frucas shouted. "He'll kill you!" "You need to get to Irania Nui, like Turaga Carok said! It was his last wish!" For once, Covoc actually sounded serious. After a long pause, Kurek and Frucas walked away. Covoc turned back to Vashkov. "So, what do I have to do?" Chapter 10 Lurker watched as this happened. He chose this moment to strike. He lashed at Covoc with his two pincers, but Vashkov just grabbed them and disintergrated them. Lurker let out a cry of pain as Covoc brought down a ton of boulders upon the Dark Hunter. Covoc and Vashkov looked at their handiwork. "We'd make a good team, you know," Vashkov said to Covoc. "Probably not, but I can kinda' see what you mean." **** Silence strode through a large chamber, looking for any signs of a struggle. There were lots of them. Vanisher's armour littered the ground, and there was a giant dent in one wall. But no sign of the Kanohi mask whatsoever. That meant that either the Toa had taken it, or the Matoran had. But which was it? His question was answered when a Toa and a winged being that looked like a Makuta entered the room. The 'Makuta' was wearing the mask, so Silence did the least sensible thing and ran at them both. But they were ready. They sidestepped and Silence went straight into the dent in the wall. The Toa rained punches on Silence, whilst the other being continually beat the Hunter over the head. After several long moments, Silence dropped to the floor, and Vashkov dug his claws in. He felt a wave of power flow through him, and spikes sprouted over his armour. "How nice." Covoc grimaced as the Dark Hunter's corpse rotted into nothing. Chapter 11 Ravager and Gladiator found Lurker under a pile of boulders. He was dead. His biomechanical arms were missing, and his back was cracked and bent out of shape from the impact of the boulders hitting him. "It's the Matoran. Toa don't kill, do they?" Gladiator shook his head in response. Ravager looked back at the body. "Whoever did it is powerful. Forget our orders, we are leaving this island RIGHT NOW!" Gladiator glared at his colleague, who snapped, "Don't just stand there! FIND US A BOAT!" **** Fifteen minutes later, Vashkov and Covoc emerged from the cave network to see the two remaining Dark Hunters miles off at sea. "Drak!" Vashkov swore. His next two power sources had just fled. Where he get his energy? He turned to Covoc, and grinned a giant menacing grin that would chill even Vradok's blood. Covoc backed away, slowly. "Don't you dare, Ikov!" He shouted at the ex-Matoran. "I'm Vashkov, and I can do as I please!" Covoc stopped ten metres away from Vashkov. He clenched his fists. Vashkov did the same. Then, at the exact same moment, they ran at each other. Chapter 12 They met somewhere in the middle, and punched each other with all their strength. Neither of them flinched as they thrust their fists at one another. Activating his Kanohi Calix, Covoc flipped over Vashkov and landed behind him. He then kicked Vashkov in the chest, sending him flying into the water behind. The Toa of Stone slowly walked forwards, and a huge ball of water rose from the sea. It exploded, sending the liquid everywhere, and revealing Vashkov in the center. He now had longer spikes running down his back as well.'' He must have absorbed a sea Rahi,'' thought Covoc. Suddenly, Covoc's mask started to glow violently, as the power of fate adapted to suit the oppressor. Performing an incredible physical feat, and harnessing the strength and dexterity his mask was granting him, Covoc propelled himself into the air, where he seemed to levitate. And he was. Vashkov flew at him, and Covoc braced for impact. Vashkov caught him full on, but he didn't budge. The Calix would not allow it. Stunned, Vashkov fell back away from the Toa, giving Covoc the chance to attack. He threw a myriad of different punches and kicks in mid air. Vashkov began to do the same, but Covoc managed to catch them all with various blocks. I'm getting faster, Covoc thought. A great feat, indeed. The fight started to move, as Covoc was backed off towards the center of the island. He could still catch most of Vashkov's punches, but was able to throw less and less of his own. He had to do something now, or he was going to get pulverised. So he grabbed Vashkov and threw him down into the hill. It formed a massive crater, and Covoc saw the hole where Vashkov had gone through. He sealed the rock as fast as he could, but Vashkov burst up into the open air. Covoc saw that he now had a Rahkshi-like spine and clawed feet. He flew at Covoc, but the Toa dropped down and Vashkov went straight past. The monstrosity regained stability and flew into Covoc. He grabbed him and dived down at the ground as fast as he could. The two beings went through the ground and into a large cavern. Covoc got up and lunged at Vashkov. He head butted the beast in the chest and then punched him repeatedly, as hard and as fast as he possibly could. Dazed, Vashkov fell back, and the Toa of Stone dived for the mask o Vashkov's face. He grabbed the Kanohi Zutekhae and pulled. It took a lot of effort, and Vashkov was clawing at the Toa, but Covoc tore the mask off, and Ikov returned to his original and less potent form. "No!" He screamed. "Yes," was Covoc's reply, and he kicked the Matoran into a wall. Epilogue Covoc stood on the balcony of Turaga Lome's office, overlooking the grand city of Iarn Nui, the heart of Irania Nui. It was big, an engineering marvel, but nothing like home. A home that was all but destroyed. Turaga Carok and Krano Nui's Matoran inhabitants were all dead. The doors to the balcony opened, and Turaga Lome stepped out. "Hello Covoc." Covoc turned to look at the Turaga. He was wearing a Kanohi Miru, and his armour was green and brown. "Hello, Turaga." There was a long, awkward silence, before Lome said, "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Irania Nui. I'm so, so very sorry about your friends." "Don't be. It wasn't your fault." Lome looked at the door, before saying, "It's late, I'd best be heading in. I've got a whole day of conferences to look forward to tomorrow. Good night." "Good night." Once Covoc was sure the Turaga was inside, he flicked on his new jetpack and leapt off the balcony. He flew over the city, and soared up above the skyscrapers. It wasn't home, but Covoc hoped that Irania Nui would be the next best thing. THE END Characters *Covoc *Frucas *Kurek *Ikov *Vanisher *Ravager *Poison *Turaga Carok *Gladiator *Silence *Lurker *Vradok (Mentioned) *Turaga Lome Trivia *Vashkov appears on the banner at the top of the page. *This is Ihu's favourite story that he himself has written. Category:Stories Category:Ihu Category:Ihu's Stories Category:The Legacy Chronicles